Section 21Sec./Art. 21

Settlement of Disputes. - All labor-related disputes shall be filed at the Regional Office or the appropriate workplace without prejudice to the filing of civil or criminal action in appropriate cases. The said Regional Office, agency, bureau, or office shall all conciliation and mediation efforts before a decision shall be rendered.

Ordinary crimes or offenses committed under the Revised Penal Code (RPC) and other special penal laws by either party shall be filed with the regular courts.

If efforts at conciliation and mediation fail, and there is no agreement to submit the case for voluntary arbitration, the dispute shall be filed before the Labor Arbiter of the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) for compulsory arbitration, pursuant to the Labor Code of the Philippines, as amended.